The present invention generally relates to financial presentation instruments. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods and systems for producing, activating and redeeming financial presentation instruments, preferably stored value cards, gift cards, or other pre-paid debit cards.
Stored value cards, gift cards, or other pre-paid debit cards are well-known for providing access to goods and services. For example, stored value or gift cards may be purchased from various merchants such as Target®, Wal-Mart®, Starbucks®, Sears®, Blockbuster®, Macy's®, Banana Republic®, and the like. Pre-paid debit cards are also frequently purchased for telephone services. The purchase and usage of financial presentation instruments has continued to increase in recent years to the point that the sale of stored value cards, gift cards, and pre-paid debit cards today is a multi-billion dollar industry.
Initially, stored value cards, gift cards, and pre-paid debit cards were often printed and issued with a predetermined balance and typically then sold as a retail item. An example of such a card is a pre-paid gift card which provides an individual with a set dollar amount for the purchase of goods from a particular merchant. The account is accessed and debited by using an account identification number provided on the gift card. A problem experienced in the sale of such pre-paid gift cards is that merchants buying these cards are subsequently more exposed to loss through shrinkage and theft.
More recently, merchants have begun to display non-activated stored value cards, gift cards, and debit cards. In this way, the merchant can readily provide unfettered access of such cards to prospective customers since theft is much less of a concern. This is because the non-activated debit cards have no intrinsic value. Further, merchants no longer carry a large initial expenditure since the merchant activates the debit card with a balance representing an amount a customer wishes to attribute to the debit card at the time the debit card is actually purchased by the customer.
Typically, such non-activated stored value cards, gift cards, and debit cards are activated by a provider at a merchant location or retail store at the time of purchase. However, such cards may still be susceptible to certain types of fraud. Hence, for these and other reasons, there is a need for alternative methods and systems that provide for activation of financial presentation instruments, particularly stored value cards, gift cards, or other pre-paid debit cards.